Playing Cards and Method for Playing Card Games Therewith

ABSTRACT

A novel card game in which cards are dealt and placed into a space on a three-by-three grid in order to create the most number of high-scoring poker hands out of the eight possible hands; three rows, three columns and two diagonals. Using the present invention, numerous different games can be played with one or more players and using a deck of standard playing cards, a computer, a handheld device or a gaming machine. The present invention can also be used for lottery tickets and the like.

This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending applicationSer. No. 11/653,162 filed Jan. 12, 2007, entitled PLAYING CARDS ANDMETHOD FOR PLAYING CARD GAMES THEREWITH which is a continuation of (nowabandoned) Ser. No. 11/189,049 filed Jul. 25, 2005, entitled PLAYINGCARDS AND METHOD FOR PLAYING CARD GAMES THEREWITH, which is acontinuation of (now abandoned) Ser. No. 10/411,811 filed Apr. 11, 2003,entitled PLAYING CARDS AND METHOD FOR PLAYING CARD GAMES THEREWITH,which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/826,637 filed Apr. 5, 2001,entitled PLAYING CARDS AND METHOD FOR PLAYING CARD GAMES THEREWITH, andwhich issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,247 on Apr. 15, 2003, which was aregular filing of provisional application Ser. No. 60/195,600 filed Apr.6, 2000.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to novel card games or gambling games thatcan be played with a standard deck of cards or with a novel deck ofplaying cards, more specifically the present invention relates to anovel card game utilizing the combination of the well known tic-tac-toegame, along with the rules of Blackjack (otherwise known as 21), or therules of poker. In the novel game, nine playing cards are dealt to aplayer, one at a time from a standard deck of 52 playing cards, and theplayer must decide as each card is dealt where to place the card on atic-tac-toe (3 by 3 array) board, in order to obtain the sum of 21 (whenadding up three cards), either across, down or on a diagonal. The playerattempts to create as many 21 totals as possible. In the novel games ofpoker, the cards are also placed on the board, but the player places thecards in the optimal position to obtain the best poker hand or hands.

An alternative embodiment of the present invention relates to a noveldeck of playing cards made up of approximately 60 cards. The novel deckcomprises six groups of ten cards, each card having a numeric value ofbetween one and ten (i.e., six cards having the number five, six cardshaving the number ten, etc.). These novel cards, unlike standard cards,do not contain a suit indication, such as Spades, Hearts, Diamonds orClubs.

Another alternative embodiment of the present invention is a novel deckof playing cards contains either 37 or 38 cards. Each playing cardcorresponds to a number (1 through 36, 0 and 00), and a color (black,red or green), found on a standard wheel used in a game of roulette. Thenovel cards may also contain other information, such as whether the cardnumber is odd or even, and whether the number on the card pertains tothe first-third of numbers, second-third, or third-third.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Playing cards have been in existence for many years. Although there aremany types of playing cards that are played in many different types ofgames, the most common type of playing cards consists of 52 cards,divided out into four different suits (namely Spades, Hearts, Diamondsand Clubs) which are printed or indicated on one side or on the face ofeach card. In the standard deck, each of the four suits of cardsconsists of 13 cards, numbered either two through ten, or lettered A(Ace), K (King), Q (Queen), or J (Jack), which is also printed orindicated on the face of each card. Each card will thus contain on itsface a suit indication along with a number or letter indication. TheKing, Queen, and Jack usually also include some sort of design on theface of the card, and may be referred to as picture cards.

In some cases, the 52 card standard playing deck also contains a numberof extra cards, sometimes referred to as jokers, that may have some useor meaning depending on the particular game being played with the deck.For example, if a card game includes the jokers, then if a playerreceives a joker in his “hand” he may use it as any card in the deck. Ifthe player has the ten, jack, queen and king of Spades, along with ajoker, the player would use the joker as an Ace of Spades. The playerwill then have a Royal Flush (ten through Ace of Spades).

Many different games can be played using a standard deck of playingcards. The game being played with the standard deck of cards may includeother items, such as game boards, chips, etc., or the game being playedmay only need the playing card deck itself. In most of the games playedusing a standard deck of cards, a value is assigned to each card. Thevalue may differ for different games.

Usually, the card value begins with the number two card as the lowestvalue and increases as the numbers increase through ten, followed inorder of increasing value with the Jack, Queen, King and Ace. In somegames the Ace may have a lower value than the two, and in games where aparticular card is determined to be wild, or have any value, that cardmay have the greatest value of all. For example, in card games wheredeuces, or twos, are wild, the player holding a playing card containinga two can use that two as any other card, such that a nine and a twowould be the equivalent of two nines.

Further, the four different suits indicated on the cards may have aparticular value depending on the game. Under game rules where one suit,i.e., Spades, has more value than another suit, i.e., Hearts, the sevenof Spades may have more value than the seven of Hearts.

It is easy to visualize that using the different card quantity and suitvalues, many different games can be played. In certain games, it is thecombination of cards that one player obtains that determines whether ornot that player has defeated the other player or players. Usually, themore difficult the combination is to obtain, the more value thecombination has, and the player who obtains the more difficultcombination (also taking into account the value of the cards) wins thegame.

For instance in the game of Poker, each player may ultimately receivefive cards. The player who obtains three cards having similar numbers ontheir face, i.e., the four of Hearts, four of Diamonds and four ofClubs, will defeat the player having only two cards with the samenumerical value, i.e., the King of Spades and the King of Hearts.However, the player with five cards that all contain Clubs, commonlyknown as a flush, will defeat the player with the same three of a kinddescribed above.

In many instances, a standard deck of playing cards is used to creategaming machines. In these gaming machines players insert coins and playcertain card games, such as poker, using an imitation of standardplaying cards on a video screen, in an attempt to win back more moneythan they originally inserted into the machine.

Another form of gambling using playing cards utilizes tables, otherwiseknown as table games. A table uses a table and a dealer, with theplayers sitting or standing around the table. The players place theirbets on the table and the dealer deals the cards to each player. Thenumber of cards dealt, or whether the cards are dealt face up or facedown, will depend on the particular table game being played.

Further, an imitation or depiction of a standard playing card is used inmany handheld electronic games, such as poker and Blackjack, and in manycomputer games and Internet games. Using a handheld electronic game or acomputer terminal that may or may not be connected to the Internet, aplayer receives the imitation playing cards and plays a card game eitheragainst the computer or against other players. Further, many of thesegames can be played on the computer in combination with gambling.

Also, there are many game shows that are broadcasted on television thatuse a deck of playing cards in the game play, in which the cards areusually enlarged or shown on a video screen or monitor for easy viewing.In these television game shows, the participants play the card game forprizes or money, usually against each other, with an individual actingas a host overseeing the action.

Also, there are lottery tickets that players purchase and play by“scratching off” an opaque layer to see if they have won money andprizes. The opaque layer prevents the player from knowing the results ofthe lottery ticket prior to purchasing and scratching off the layer. Insome of these lottery tickets, playing cards are used under the opaquelayer and the player may need to match a number of similar cards inorder to win the prizes or money.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the present invention, a novel board game and/or gambling game thatcan be played with a standard deck of playing cards utilizing thecombination of tic-tac-toe with the rules of Blackjack or 21. Nine cardsare dealt, one at a time, from a standard deck of playing cards (52cards having 13 cards per each of four suits). The player must decide,as each card is dealt, where to place the card on an enlargedtic-tac-toe board. The object is to obtain a sum of 21 either across,down or on the diagonals.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for playingthe game of Blackjack in which nine standard playing cards are dealt tothe player, and the player places the cards on an exaggerated (in size)tic-tac-toe board in an attempt to obtain totals of 21 when adding threecards (either across, down or diagonal). The player positions the cardssuch that as many totals of 21 can be obtained.

Another object of the Present invention is to provide a method forplaying the game of poker in which nine standard playing cards are dealtto the player, and the player places the cards on an exaggerated (insize) tic-tac-toe board in an attempt to obtain the highest value pokerhand using three cards (either across, down or diagonal). The playerpositions the cards such that each set is a separate poker hand.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a deck of playingcards made up of 60 individual cards, divided into six groups of tencards per group. Each card of each group has a numeric value of betweenone and ten (i.e., six cards having the number five, six cards havingthe number ten, etc.). These cards do not necessarily need a suitindication (club, spade, diamond or heart) as found on cards from astandard playing deck of cards. Other combinations of numeric values andgroup numbers can be used, such as ten groups of cards each cardcontaining the numeric value of between one and seven.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a novel deck ofplaying cards containing novel cards, each card corresponding to anumber (one through 36, 0 or 00), or a color (black, red or green). Thisinformation is similar to some of the information found on a standardroulette wheel and table board. If there is only one “zero” card, thenthe deck contains 37 cards; if there is a “double-zero” card, the deckwill contains 38 cards.

Each of these novel games can be played using actual playing cards froma standard or modified deck as described herein, or the games can beplayed by simulating the dealing of cards on a display, such as acomputer screen or a handheld electronic game. Further, the basis ofthese novel games can be depicted in scratch off lottery cards and thelike.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of nine playing cards located on the playingboard after playing a version of the game embodying the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of nine playing cards located on the playingboard after playing a version of the game embodying the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a front view of nine playing cards located on the playingboard after playing a version of the game embodying the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is a front view of nine playing cards located on the playingboard after playing a version of the game embodying the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a front view of a single playing card from an alternativenovel deck of playing cards embodying the to present invention;

FIG. 6 is a front view of a single playing card from an alternativenovel deck of playing cards embodying the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a novel board game and/or gambling gameand method that can be played with a standard deck of playing cardsutilizing the combination of the well known game of tic-tac-toe, alongwith the rules of Blackjack (otherwise known as 21). The object of thegame is to obtain a sum of 21, or as many 21s as possible, across, downor on the diagonals, as nine cards are dealt, one at a time, from astandard deck of playing cards (52 cards having 13 cards per each offour suits). FIG. 1 shows the final layout of the cards 10 in thetic-tac-toe arrangement in accordance with the present invention.

At the beginning of the game, an empty board (not shown) containing athree by three array, similar to a tic-tac-toe board, is laid out. Thegame can be played without a board and instead just approximate wherethe nine different positions are located. As understood by those havingordinary skill in the art, the game can also be played or simulated on acomputer, an electronic handheld device or a gaming machine. Using anelectronic display (especially using a touch screen), allows the playerto indicate where the cards should be placed to optimize scoring, andalso allows replacement or switching of cards as necessary in particulargames described below.

During game play, a first card 12 is dealt to a player, and the playermust decide which place on the board (of the nine possibilities) thecard should be placed. In the example of FIG. 1 the player was dealt anAce of Hearts as a first card 12. The player decided to put the firstcard 12 in the center position.

Once the player places the first card 12, a second card 14 is dealt tothe player. In FIG. 1 a Jack of Spades was dealt as the second card 14.Again, the player must decide which position, of the eight remainingpositions, to place the card (upper left corner). After each card isplaced in a position, another card is dealt, and the player must decidein which of the remaining tic-tac-toe locations the dealt card must beplaced.

When the game is complete and all nine cards have been dealt and placed,the nine cards will be laid out in three rows of three cards per row. Byadding up the three card combinations, across, down and diagonally,(eight combinations in all) the player can calculate how many 21s he hascreated. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the only 21 created begins atthe upper left card 14 (Jack of Spades) and moves diagonally down acrossthe middle 12 (Ace of Hearts) to the lower right card 16 (King ofClubs). The other combinations have totals that are either greater thanor less than 21.

The board will be sufficient size to be able to accommodate standardplaying cards; however, a smaller board can be used for smaller cards.Further, as described above, a board is not necessary as the cards canbe placed on a table in the correct location.

The novel board or gambling game utilizing a tic-tac-toe format couldalso be played as a poker game, instead of 21 as described above. Inthis alternative embodiment, the player places the cards as dealt ontothe game board in an attempt to create the best poker hands using thethree card combinations across, down and diagonal.

For example, if the player was initially dealt an Ace of spades, theplayer may place the Ace in the middle of the board. If the second cardwas an Ace of Hearts, the player may place that second Ace in theupper-middle position. If the third card dealt was the two of Hearts,the player may position the card in the upper-left location such that ifanother Heart is dealt, it can be placed in the upper-right position tocomplete the flush, if however another Ace is dealt, it can be placed inthe lower-middle position for triple Aces. There are many differentstrategies that a player can use to play this tic-tac-toe type pokergame. As described above, the player does not stop until all of the ninepositions are filled. The player attempts to obtain as many winningpoker hands as possible.

If the player placed the nine cards that he was dealt into the locationsshown in FIG. 1, then the best hand the player has obtained the handcontaining the Jack of Spades 14, the Queen of Hearts 18, and the Queenof Spades 20, otherwise known as a pair of Queens.

Similar to the games described above, a number of well-known card gamescan be played by utilizing the methods set forth herein, such asBlackjack and poker, using a standard deck of 52 playing cards. In thepresent invention, many of the existing strategies are present fromclassic card games; however, there are numerous additional strategiesthat can be implemented for successful game play. One of the keydifferentiators, and also one of the reasons for additional strategies,is because in the present invention a player must formulate both astrategy for the particular game play, along with a strategy for thelocation that the card is placed during the game play. The placement ofthe card becomes as important as the actual card dealt to the player.

Besides the general game play described above, there are many games andvariations of games that can be played using the present invention. Allthe games and associated game play are based on the same principals as aTic Tac Toe game, including the eight possible scoring opportunities inthat classic game. In the present invention, just like the classic game,the player must create scoring opportunities using the three rows, thethree columns, and the two diagonals.

Additionally, there are numerous games in accordance with the presentinvention which use the Xs and Os of the classic Tic Tac Toe game. Inthese types of games, the placement of the Xs and Os are combined withthe placement of the particular cards in the present invention to createa novel game. As described above, all of the novel game embodiments canbe incorporated and played with a standard deck of playing cards, as ahandheld device, video or computer game (single-use or Internetversion), on casino table games or gaming machines, using game boards,and also as lottery tickets, among others.

In the game play for Blackjack or 21 using the present invention, thebasic play for each game involves dealing nine playing cards to a playerone at a time (there may be multiple players playing at the same time)from a standard deck of 52 playing cards. There are a number ofvariations to this method; the player may have the option of discardingone or more of the dealt cards (i.e., not using the card dealt), placingone or more cards over an existing placed card, or rearranging the cardsalready placed down, depending on the game and the game options.

The game ends after nine cards have been placed in a three-by-threearray similar to a game of Tic Tac Toe. The game variation may include afour-by-four array, or a five-by-five array, which may be useful forcertain poker games. In the basic game play, the player must decide aseach card is dealt where to place each card on a Tic Tac Toe layout, ora three-by-three array, in order to obtain as many as possible threecard combination that add up to 21. The sums are created by adding upthe card value for three cards across, down or on a diagonal. Forexample, if the resulting first column contains a seven of Diamonds, afour of Clubs and a ten of Hearts, the total is 21. There are eightdifferent sums; three columns, three rows and two diagonals.

In the classic game of Blackjack or 21, as it is sometimes referred to,the value of the cards in a “hand” is added together and a total isdetermined. A winning hand has a value higher than the opponent ordealer that is less than or equal to 21. In the classic Blackjack game aplayer may receive as many cards as requested until the value of thecards in the players hand exceeds 21. The value of each card is equal tothe number on the card for cards 2 through ten, i.e., the 3 of heartshas a value of three. The value of the face cards, the King, Queen andJack, are set at ten, and the value of the remaining card, the Ace, canbe one or eleven, depending on the player's choice. For example, if thethree cards are the seven of Clubs, the Ace of Hearts and the three ofdiamonds, the player would choose to make the Ace worth eleven points.However, if the player's cards were the Ace of Hearts, the King of Clubsand the Queen of Spades, then the player would choose the value of theAce to be one.

The present invention utilizes the same card values as the classicBlackjack game described above. However, in the present invention, theplayer has eight scoring opportunities or hands. One of the maindifferences between the present invention and the classic Blackjack gameis that the player is only allowed three cards per hand, since each ofthe eight hands fit into a three-by-three Tic Tac Toe layout (unlessmore than a three-by-three layout is used). In the present invention thevalue of a winning hand, only three cards must equal 21.

The nine cards are dealt to complete the eight hands on thethree-by-three layout. The player must attempt to place all nine cardsin patterns of three that total 21. Eight hands of 21, a perfect score,is extremely difficult to obtain, since even if you were dealt each ofthe nine cards needed for the perfect score, the player must place thenine cards in the proper location on the nine card layout, or the eighthands of 21 can not be achieved.

FIG. 2 shows a completed Blackjack or 21 game and an illustration ofthese scoring opportunities, or hands. For ease of reference, the rowsare labeled A, B, C and the columns are labeled 1, 2, 3 to describe cardplacement. As such, the following eight hands are created:

Three Vertical Three Horizontal Two Diagonal Hands Hands Hands 1 Row A,4 Column 1, 7 Cells A1, B2, C3 Columns 1, 2, 3 Rows A, B, C 2 Row B, 5Column 2, 8 Cells, C1, B2, A3 Columns 1, 2, 3 Rows A, B, C 3 Row C, 6Column 3, Columns 1, 2, 3 Rows A, B, C

Each card placement is made to maximize the player's probability ofarranging 9 cards into 8 possible scoring opportunities, either forBlackjack or poker depending on the game. Although the descriptionherein relates mostly to a single player, it is easy to understand thatthese novel games can be played by more than one player at a time. Thechart below, which uses the cells as described above, indicates onestrategy involved in this particular game.

One alternative embodiment includes allowing a player to “pass” on theplacement of a certain number of cards. Instead of being required toplace each of the first nine cards dealt on to the three-by-threelayout, the player can elect not place a certain number of the dealtcards, preferably five cards. In this embodiment, once a card is passedon, it can no longer be placed onto the layout. Players must decidewhether of not each card dealt will help of hurt their score, and thenelect to place the card on the three-by-three layout or “pass” on theplacement of the card. Once the player has passed on a number of cards,for example, five cards, the player then must place the remaining cardson the layout until each of the nine places are filled.

In another alternative embodiment the game of poker is played using asimilar nine-card method and the same three-by-three array layout. Ofcourse, a four-by-four or five-by-five grid can be used withoutdeviating from the present invention. In accordance with the presentinvention, nine playing cards are dealt to a player one at a time from astandard deck of 52 playing cards. The player must decide as each cardis dealt where to place each card on the three-by-three layout in orderto obtain the best eight, three card poker combinations when viewing thethree rows, the three columns and the two diagonals. Again, the rulesmay allow for the player to pass or skip a number of cards beforefilling in the layout completely.

In poker certain card combinations create hands that have greater valuethan other hands. A winning hand is a hand that has a greater value thanthe opponent's hand. The present invention uses the same card values andthe same ranking of the importance of certain hands as the classic gameof poker. However, in the present invention, similar to the Blackjackgame described above, there are eight scoring opportunities, or “hands”of only three card combinations (or four or five, depending on the gamelayout). Each scoring opportunity is a “hand” using three cards.

In the preferred embodiment of present invention, each hand can onlyhave three cards, since the “hand” must fit into the three-by-three TicTac Toe layout. Nine cards are dealt to complete the eight hands on thelayout of the present invention. The player must place all nine cards inpatterns of three to have eight three card poker hands with the highestranking card combinations possible. As in the Blackjack version of thepresent invention, the placement of cards on the layout is crucial tothe result of all eight hands.

FIG. 3 shows a completed poker game in accordance with the presentinvention. Points are awarded and accumulated based on the “strength” ofthe three card poker hands, in other words, how good each three-cardpoker hand is. The lower the probability of achieving a hand the higherthe point total awarded to achieving that hand. The chart belowindicates one example of a scoring scheme.

Description of Hand Points Awarded Royal Flush 30 Straight Flush 25Three of a Kind 20 Flush 15 Straight 10 Two of a Kind 05Using the scoring above, the poker shown in FIG. 3 would be scored asfollows:

Points Hand Number Description of Hand awarded 1 No hand 0 2 No hand 0 3Diamond Flush 10 4 Pair of Queens 5 5 No hand 0 6 Pair of fours 5 7Straight Royal Flush 30 8 No hand 0 Total 50

A player may be awarded another game if the score of the eight handsexceeds 30 points, for example. Players can then increase theircumulative score in a 2^(nd), 3^(rd), 4^(th), etc. game. Using this gameplay, a player could continue to play and accumulate points until thescore for their game was less than 40 points. The game only ends whenthe score achieve in one round is less than 30. Using this feature,players can continue to try to match or beat the highest score that theplayer had previously achieved, or if the player is networked to otherplayers, i.e., over the Internet, the player can try to match or bestthe highest score ever for that particular type of game.

Another alternative embodiment of the present invention would include atype of gaming machine in which a pay table would be calculated. Playerswould insert coins or other types of credit and receive payouts(winnings) based on the resulting hand (and based on the pay table). Aplayer that has a high pay table score would be eligible to participatein another “hand” that would be part of a “progressive” payout. Theprogressive would represent a very large amount that could be won. Theprogressive would be tied to a network of other gaming machines inaccordance with the present invention.

The points awarded by hand and the threshold amounts (to be rewardedwith another game) can be adjusted based on the results to increase thefrequency and amount of winning hands during game play. The frequencyand amount of winnings are calculated in accordance with knownparameters for the gaming industry.

The chart below shows one of the many strategies involved in playing thepresent invention for the game of poker. In particular, the strategyincludes where and why certain cards are placed in certain positions inthe layout.

FIG. 4 shows another alternative embodiment is a game of the presentinvention played with both regular playing cards and cards or some otherindicators of Xs and Os as used in a standard game of Tic Tac Toe. TheXs and Os serve as a point multiplier in which one player may playagainst another player, or against a computerized system using a“computer dealer”.

The object of the game is to create as many “hands” that total to 21 aspossible on the Tic-a-Tac grid while at the same time placing Xs (or Os)on those cards. Point totals for “hands” are multiplied by the number ofXs on the cards within the three card hand that totals 21. For example,if all three cards in a sequence that total 21 have Xs, the total wouldbe multiplied by three, resulting in a point total of 63 (21×3=63) forthat particular hand. If only two cards in the three card 21 sequencehave Xs the result would be a point total of 21×2=42 for that particularhand. The player receives no points for a three card hand that totals to21 if the player failed to place any Xs on any of the cards in thesequence.

Another alternative embodiment of the present invention can be played intwo parts that are related to each other. The first part is a standardgame of Blackjack played against the dealer. The winner of the Blackjackhand determines where and what card is placed on the three-by-threelayout in the second part of the game.

During the second part of the game, cards are placed on the layout basedon the results of the Blackjack game played in part one. If the playerbeats dealer in the Blackjack game then the player may place any card inhis Blackjack hand on any space on the layout. Further, an X is placedon top of that card. If the dealer wins the Blackjack hand, then arandom card, from the dealer's hand, is randomly placed on a space onthe layout and an O is placed on top of that card. The player attemptsto maximize his Blackjack score by creating as many three-card handsequences as possible that have as many Xs on the layout.

To the extent that game play is via computer, the play could start withone blank three-by-three layout and one standard deck of 52 playingcards, for example, the three-by-three layout can be prominentlydisplayed at the top and center of the screen. Along either sides of thebottom of the computer screen the Blackjack game will be played by theplayer and dealer. The player is dealt two cards, and the dealer isdealt two cards. One of the dealer's cards is dealt face down and theother is dealt face up. The player then plays Blackjack against thedealer, with the object to get a total card count of less than or equalto 21 that is greater than the dealers card count. If the player exceeds21 the dealer wins.

If the player defeats the dealer during the Blackjack game, the playeris allowed to place one of the cards in his hand on any open space onthe layout. The player may use a placement strategy that will providethe best chance to have a three card total of 21 for as many of the 8possible hands in the layout. The player also receives an X on top ofthe card that the player placed in that position.

If, on the other hand, the dealer wins the Blackjack hand, the computerrandomly places one of the dealer's cards on one of the open spaces onthe layout. The system can be programmed to strategically choose whichcard is placed and where it is placed, thereby reducing the player'schance to obtain a 21 on that section of the layout. The Computer placesan O on top of the placed card. These steps are repeated until theentire layout is completed. The player's score is based on the number of21s and the multiplier based on the number of Xs in each 21.

The game ends when nine cards are placed on the layout. The playerreceives a score based on the number of three card hands that total 21,with a multiplier based on the number of X′s on those cards that total21, as described above.

As described above, it is very difficult to get eight-three cardsequences on the grid that total 21, it would be even harder to get alleight-three cards sequences to total to 21 and to have beaten the dealeron all nine hands, thereby placing an X on all nine spaces on the grid.This score of 504 would be a highest obtainable for an individual game,however, the score could be bettered if each player was allowed to getanother game to add any point total from the first game to the secondgame. This would allow for increasing points totals for individualplayers.

Another alternative embodiment involves similar rules, but playedagainst an opponent. Thus, this alternative embodiment is played withboth regular playing cards and Xs and Os as used in a Tic Tac Toe game.Further, other symbols can be implemented for more than two players inthis version depending on the number of participants in the game. TheXs, Os and other symbols serve as the point multiplier as describedabove. In the preferred embodiment, this game is played on acomputerized system in competition with other players.

The object of the game is to create as many 21 hands as possible on thelayout while at the same time placing the player's designated symbol onthose cards. Point totals for each hand is multiplied by the number ofthe player's symbols on the cards within the three card 21 hand. As anexample if all three cards in a 21 sequence all have the player'ssymbol, that player would receive 63 points (21×3) for that particularhand. If only two cards in a three card 21 sequence have the player'ssymbol, that player would receive 24 points, and the player receives nopoints for a three card 21 hand if none of the player's symbols havebeen placed on any of the cards in the sequence.

In an alternative embodiment, the game is played against other playersinstead of a computer. Again, the invention includes two parts that arerelated to each other. The first part is a standard game of Blackjackplayed against all the other players. The winner of the initialBlackjack hand determines where and what card is placed on thethree-by-three layout for the second part of the game. The first partwould include a tie breaker rule, and up to six players couldparticipate, with four players being the optimal amount. At thebeginning of the game, each player chooses or is assigned a symbol, suchas X, O, +, etc.

During the second part of the game, cards are placed on the layout basedon the results of the Blackjack game from part one. The player that winsthe hand from part one can place any card in his winning hand on anyunused space on the layout and then his symbol is placed on top of thatcard. The player attempts to maximize his score by creating three cardsequences that add up to 21, and that have his symbol on as many ofthose cards as possible.

Play starts with one empty three-by-three layout and one standard deckof playing (52 cards). The present invention can be played on a gameboard, on a computer, on a cell phone or PDA, on bar-top devices, on ahandheld computer device, and over the Internet either against thecomputer or against other players networked together.

Another alternative embodiment includes a version using thethree-by-three layout for the game of poker. The method is similar tothe invention described above, but instead of attempting to obtain ahand that totals 21, the player attempts to obtain various poker hands,which have different values depending on the difficulty of obtainingthat hand. As in the two part game for 21, the score for each poker handis multiplied by the number of Xs (or the player's symbol) placed on thecards of each of the eight possible three-card hands.

This alternative embodiment is similar to the game of poker describedabove, played with regular playing cards and Xs and Os as used in a gameof Tic Tac Toe. The Xs and Os serve as multipliers to increase theplayer's score. The player uses the X symbol and the dealer uses the Osymbol.

The object of the game is to create as many poker hands as possible onthe layout while at the same time placing your symbol on those cards.The better the poker hand, the more points are possible (which areincreased by the multiplier). The player earns the right to place an Xon the layout by beating the dealer's poker hand. If the player is usingthe X as the symbol, the dealer will use the O symbol. Different valuescan be assigned to various poker hands, as described above. The pointtotals for the poker hands are multiplied by the number of symbols (Xs,Os or other symbols) on the cards within the 3 card hand. For example, aflush hand has a poker hand value of 15. If, during game play, a playerplaces two Xs on those cards, the point total would be multiplied bytwo, resulting in a point total of 15×2=30. The player does not receiveany points for a three card poker hand that has no Xs placed on any ofthe cards in the sequence.

Similar to the embodiment set forth above, this method of the presentinvention is played in two related parts. The first part is a standardpoker game that incorporates three cards dealt against the dealer. Thehand with the greater poker value is the winner. This could be studpoker (no chance for additional cards) or draw poker; the player canreturn certain cards for new cards from the deck. The system can be setup so that ties are won by the player.

During the second part of the game, the winner of the best poker handfrom the first part is allowed to place one of the winning cards on tothe layout. The player attempts to maximize his score by creating asmany high value three-card poker hands as possible, and placing as manyof his symbols on those hands.

As an example of game play (there are many others), both the player andthe dealer are dealt three cards, one face up and two face down. Boththe player and the dealer may choose to discard up to two of the threecards dealt or keep all the cards as they were originally dealt. Anydiscarded cards are replaced by the dealer with new cards from the deck.

Once the player and the dealer have received their final cards, thehands are disclosed and the winner of the poker hand will have thehighest three card poker value. The winner of the hand determines whereand which card in his three card poker hand is placed on the layout. Ifthe player beats the dealer in the standard three card poker game thenthe player may place any card in his poker hand on any unused orremaining open space on the layout. Also, an X (the player's symbol) isplaced on top of that card. However, if the dealer wins the three cardpoker hand, then the dealer (or computer) will place any card in thedealer's hand on any remaining open space on the layout, with thedealer's symbol, the O, placed on top of that card. The computer dealercan either place a random card on the layout randomly, or the system canbe programmed to place the best card in the best position to block orotherwise retard the player's strategy.

As with the other embodiment, there are 9 hands of three card pokerplayed. One hand to determine the card and space for each of the spaceson the three-by-three layout.

The game ends when all 9 card spaces on the layout have been filled withcards (and symbols). The player receives a score based on the pointvalue of all the three card poker hands and the number of Xs (or theplayer's symbol) on those cards.

Players can be awarded another game if their score exceeds 40 points forthe game. Players can then increase their cumulative score in a 2nd,3rd, 4th, game, etc. Using this type of game play and scoring, a playercould continue to play and accumulate points until the score for theirgame was less than say 40 points. The game only ends when the scoreachieve in one round is less than 40. This embodiment can likewise beplayed with numerous players against each other, as long as each playerhas a distinguishing symbol to be placed on the card selected when thewinning hand in part one is determined.

In another alternative embodiment, the game of Texas Hold ‘em iscombined with the game of Blackjack or 21. In this embodiment, betweentwo and four players play the game. The object of the Game is to win allthe money bet during the game by continuing to bet and stay in the game,and having the most hands of 21 on the layout.

Each player is dealt two cards face down. These are the player's cards,with the remaining 7 cards considered to be the community cards. Acertain number of the 7 community cards are placed on the three-by-threelayout in various rounds during the game. The space where each card isplaced is determined at random. For a computer version of this game, arandom number generator is used to place the cards on an empty space onthe layout. For a game board version of this game, nine cards numbered1-9 are drawn and placed next to each community card to determine thespace on the layout where each card will to be placed. Players bet aftereach round while evaluating their chances of having the most hands thatequal 21. As with the poker game of Texas Hold ‘em, players can go “allin” during any round, or decide to fold.

In the last round, the remaining players place their “hole” cards on theremaining two open spaces on the layout to complete the layout and thegame. The player with the most hands of 21 wins the game.

At the beginning of each game, each player places the minimum ante betin the pot. At any point during the game, after the ante bet, a bet maybe placed. Also, a player may go “all in”, wagering all their “chips”upon any of their opportunities to place a bet. Once the ante is in,each player is dealt two “hole cards” face down so no one else can seetheir cards, and these cards will not be placed on the layout until theend of the game. Each player looks at his cards and evaluates thechances of having a 21 hand and/or a good formula to complete thelayout. The betting can begin with a “pre flop” bet. To remain in thegame all players must match the highest amount bet by another player. Aplayer may match the bet, raise the bet or choose to drop out of thegame.

Next, five community cards, called the “flop,” are dealt and placed atrandom on various positions on the layout. If the game uses a computer,a random number generator is used to place the cards on a space on theboard. For a board game version, some way to determine a value from oneto nine is used for each card. In the preferred embodiment, nine cardsnumbered 1-9 are shuffled, drawn and placed next to each community cardsto determine the space on the layout where each card will be placed.Next each player looks at his cards and evaluates his/her chances ofhaving a 21 hand and/or a good formula to complete the layout. Next,each player (in order) may make a bet, raise a bet or drop out of thegame.

The next card is also a community card and is called the “turn.” It isdealt and placed at random on the layout. Again, each player looks athis/her cards and evaluates his/her chances of having a 21 hand and/or agood formula to complete the layout. A new round of betting ensues.Finally, a single community card called the “River” is dealt and placedat random on the layout. Thus, seven cards are now placed randomly onthe three-by-three layout leaving two empty spaces. Again, each playerevaluates the two hole cards in relation to the seven community cardsmakes a bet, raises the bet or drops out of the game. Of course, adifferent amount of cards can be dealt at each stage of the game, so forexample, four cards can be used for the flop, two cards can be used forthe turn, and one card for the river. Alternatively, at each stage, onlyone card may be dealt thereby increasing the number of bettingopportunities (one for each of the seven cards dealt).

After the final round, there are two open spaces remaining on thelayout. If more than one player remains in the game at this time, thewinner of the hand is determined by evaluating which player has the mosthands of 21 on the layout, by placing the hole cards into the remainingspaces. It is the responsibility of the player to determine which of thetwo spaces results in the most hands of 21. In a determined order, theplayers place their hole cards on the grid and announce how many 21hands they have created. The cards are removed, and the next player doesthe same. This play continues until all the remaining players haveplaced their hole cards on the grid. The player with the most hands of21 wins the hand. If the players have the same number of 21 hands, thepot is split between them.

Likewise, an alternative embodiment of the present invention includesthe three-by-three layout and the game of Texas Hold ‘em for poker. Thegame is played by at least 2 players, and the object is to win all themoney bet during the game. This object is accomplished by continuing tobet and stay in the game, and having the highest value three card pokertotal placed on the layout.

In the same manner as described above, players are each dealt two cardsface down. These are the player's cards, with the remaining seven cardsbeing community cards. During game play, a certain number of the sevencommunity cards will be placed randomly on the layout as describedabove. Players bet after each round while evaluating their chances ofhaving poker hands with the highest value. Players can go “all in”during any round, or fold and be out of the game.

In the last round, any players remaining in the game place their holecards on the remaining two open spaces on the layout to complete thegame. The player with the highest three card poker hand total pointswins the game.

In the alternative embodiment, each player begins by placing the minimumante bet in the pot. Each player is then dealt two hole cards face down,so no one else knows the cards’ value. These cards will not be placed onthe layout until the end of the game. At this point, each player looksat his cards and evaluates the chance of having the best and highestvalued three card poker hands, along with a good strategy for completingthe layout. The betting is accomplished as set forth above, with similarparameters for the flop, turn and river cards.

After all of the seven cards have been dealt, and there are two emptyspaces, and after all of the betting has taken place, the winner of thehand is determined by evaluating which player has the highest pointtotal for all the three card poker hands on the layout after placing theplayer's cards on the remaining two spaces on the layout. If two or moreplayers have the same point totals, the pot is split between them.

In another alternative embodiment, the same Blackjack or poker game isplayed as described above, however, as the player places cards into oneof the nine spaces, if the total of the row, column or diagonal equals21 (or in the poker game, a qualifying hand), the cards are removed andthe total number of 21s is increased by 1 (or the poker total isincreased by the poker hand score). The player continues placing cardsuntil there are no more spaces to be filled. For example, as the playerplaces cards on the three-by-three grid, the first column contains aseven, eight and six (or total of 21), those three cards are removed (toallow for additional cards to be placed in those spaces) and the totalnumber of 21s increases by one. In the game of poker, the second columncontains the three, five and nine of Hearts, so those cards are removed,and the total score is increased by 15 (the score for a flush in thescoring chart above).

This removal of scoring or winning cards can continue until the spacesall contain non-scoring hands. Further, the present invention may allowfor a player to view a completed grid, and be allowed to switch cards toincrease the number of 21s or the poker score. This switching can bedone with or without the replacement of cards when a winning hand iscreated, and can be timed to provide only a certain amount of time for aplayer to make the switches. As an example, a grid is provided for aplayer that has no 21s. The player switches the first two cards in thefirst column to create two rows of 21. Those six cards may then beremoved (with the total 21s increased by two) and six new cards appearfor the player to switch around. Again this game can be timed to providethe player only three minutes, for example, to make all the necessaryswitches.

In another alternative embodiment, the player is provided a number ofcards and a timer to place the cards into the optimal spaces to createthe most 21s or the best poker hands in the least amount of time. Pointscan be removed (or added0 based on the amount of time it takes to fillthe grid, thus filling the grid quickly with less 21s, for example, maygenerate a higher score than taking a longer amount of time to generatethe most 21s possible.

The present invention, both the Blackjack and poker embodiments, can beplayed on numerous different devices, for example, a handheld videodevice or a computer screen (not shown). A reproduction of the playingcards can be dealt or displayed, and the player can decide whichlocation in which to place the card. The software for such a game couldbe distributed by either CD-ROM (or another medium), or downloaded fromthe Internet. Further, the game could be played online, either withgambling or without.

This novel game play can also be applied to the gaming industry,allowing a player to insert coins, or otherwise bet, prior to or duringthe game play. The various payouts would be determined based on theamount gambled, and the number of 21s attained (or possible based on thefewer cards to reach a 21).

The novel game play may also be utilized in a television game showformat. The contestants are dealt a card from the deck and place thatcard in one of the nine locations. The cards can be displayed to thecontestants and the audience by using large easily readable cards, ormonitors that display the card when that location is selected.

Both of the above-described games can be played with a standard,nine-position tic-tac-toe type board or playing field. However, thesegames can also be played on a board or field that contains four or five(or more) across or down. In an alternative embodiment, where a five byfive position board is used (not shown), a game similar to stud pokercan be played with five poker hands across, five poker hands down, andtwo diagonal hands.

An alternative embodiment of the present invention relates to a noveldeck of playing cards made up of 60 individual cards, divided into sixgroups of ten cards per group. FIG. 5 shows a card 22 in accordance withthe alternative embodiment of the present invention. Each card 22 ofeach group has a numeric value 24 between one and ten (i.e., six cardshaving the number five, six cards having the number ten, etc.) The card22 shown in FIG. 5 has the numeric value of eight. These cards do notnecessarily need a suit indication (Club, Spade, Diamond or Heart) asfound on cards from a standard playing deck of cards. Of course, othercombinations of numeric values and group numbers can be used, such asten groups of cards each card containing the numeric value of betweenone and seven.

In using this deck to play a game, after the novel deck is shuffled andthe cards are in a random order, the dealer deals a card up with thenumeric value of that card showing. The player then attempts to guesswhether or not the next card to be dealt will have a numeric value thatis higher or lower (or possibly the same value) than the initial card.If the player guesses correctly, he may choose to continue. Each guessis based on whether the player believes that the next card dealt will behigher or lower than the previously dealt card. The winner of the gameis the player that can predict the largest number correctly in a row.

These novel cards can also be used in the gaming industry as table games(i.e., a dealer deals cards to a player or players sitting around thetable), for video gaming machines, on handheld video devices orcomputers (either CD-ROM, or downloaded from the Internet) for gameplay. In these instances, the payout may be determined based on thetypes of correct guesses (high-low, numeric value), the number ofcorrect guesses (possibly in a row), and the amount initially wagered.

FIG. 6 shows another card 26 from another alternative embodiment of thepresent invention. The novel deck of playing cards contains a number ofthese novel cards 26. In the preferred embodiment, the novel deckcontains either 37 or 38 cards 26. Each card 26 has a number 28 on itsface. The number in the preferred embodiment is between one and 36, or 0or 00. Each card 26 contains an indication of color on its face (notshown). The colors on the cards 26 in the preferred embodiment areblack, red or green (based on the number 28). In the preferredembodiment, these cards 26 also contain other information, includingwhether the card is in the group 30 of cards labeled first-third (cardshaving numbers one through 12), second-third (cards having numbers 13through 24), or third-third (cards having numbers 25 through 36). The 0and 00 cards do not have such a group 30 indication. In the preferredembodiment, the cards also have an indication 32 that shows whether thecard is even or odd (based on the number 28). These cards containinformation similar to the information found on a roulette table.

If there is only one zero card, then the preferred deck contains 37cards; if there is also a double-zero card, the preferred deck contains38 cards. For example, one card would contain the number seven, theindication of odd, and the color black, while another card would containthe number 14, an indication of even, and the color red. With this noveldeck of cards, a roulette-type game (or gambling game) could be played.Instead of rolling the ball on a roulette wheel to determine the winnerof the game, the dealer shuffles the deck and turns over a card; theodds are similar to those in roulette. However, in alternative gameplay, if the deck is not shuffled after each deal, the odds of aparticular card being turned up changes after each deal.

Of course there are other games that can be played using the roulettedeck. A player may try to predict whether the next card to be turned upwill be higher or lower than the previous card, or whether the next cardturned up will be red, black, green, odd, even, first-third,second-third, or third-third, etc. Each guess will be worth a differentvalue depending on the odds. As long as a player guesses correctly, hecan continue to guess.

Similar to the first set of novel cards, these roulette cards can alsobe utilized in the gaming industry as table games, video gamingmachines, handheld video devices or on computers (either CD-ROM, ordownloaded from the Internet) for game play. In these instances, thepayout is determined based on the types of correct guesses (high-low,numeric value, odd-even, color, etc.), the number of correct guesses(possibly in a row), and the amount initially wagered.

Further, the Blackjack, poker, and novel card embodiments can beutilized as lottery tickets, where the player scratches off the opaquelayer in order to reveal the playing cards underneath. In Blackjack, ifthe player's combination of numbers equals 21, the player wins. The morecombinations that add to 21, the more times the player wins. The sameholds true for the poker embodiment. A certain hand could decide thewinner (pair of jacks or better). The player can win multiple hands.

The foregoing detailed description of the invention is intended to beillustrative and not intended to limit the scope of the invention.Changes and modifications are possible with respect to the foregoingdescription, and it is understood that the invention may be practicedotherwise than that specifically described herein and still be withinthe scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of playing a card game wherein theobject is to accumulate nine cards making up of eight sets of threecards wherein each card is used in more than one of said eight-threecard sets, comprising the steps of: a) dealing a playing card from adeck of playing cards to a player; b) placing said playing card in oneof nine locations, said one of nine locations being determined by athree by three array; c) dealing another playing card to said player; d)placing said another playing card into a remaining location of said ninelocations; e) repeating steps c) and d) until each of said ninelocations contain a playing card.
 2. The method of playing a card gamein claim 1, further comprising the step of: f) scoring each of saideight sets of three cards based on a poker scoring table.
 3. The methodof playing a card game in claim 2, further comprising the step of: g)adding up the scoring from each of said eight sets of three cards togenerate a total score for said card game.
 4. The method of playing acard game in claim 3, further comprising the step of: h) determining areward based on the total score.
 5. A method of playing a card gamewherein the object is to accumulate nine cards making up of eight setsof three cards wherein each card is used in more than one of saideight-three card sets, comprising the steps of: a) dealing a playingcard from a deck of playing cards to a player; b) deciding whether todiscard the playing card or not; b) if not discarded, placing saidplaying card in one of nine locations, said one of nine locations beingdetermined by a three by three array; c) dealing another playing card tosaid player; d) placing said another playing card into a remaininglocation of said nine locations; e) repeating steps c) and d) until eachof said nine locations contain a playing card.
 6. The method of playinga card game in claim 5, further comprising the step of: f) scoring eachof said eight sets of three cards based on a poker scoring table.
 7. Themethod of playing a card game in claim 6, further comprising the stepof: g) adding up the scoring from each of said eight sets of three cardsto generate a total score for said card game.
 8. The method of playing acard game in claim 7, further comprising the step of: h) determining areward based on the total score.